Think of the US or watch an American movie and chances are that the images will come complete with a foot-tapping soundtrack.
For more than a century, the US has been charting the course of popular music, so it’s no surprise that music-themed breaks are such big business in the States.
Here’s an overview of five of America’s most exciting music destinations, cities where visitors can kick back and enjoy a live show, as well as discovering the roots of their favourite artists and styles.
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is celebrated the world over as the home of the blues and R&B, and the birthplace of rock’n’roll. And while its past may be glorious, the present is no less exciting. On any given night, visitors will find dozens of venues in the city humming with sweet, live sounds.
At the heart of the scene is Beale Street, which boasts BB King’s famous restaurant, as well as more than 30 live-music venues (many with no cover charge) in one three-block stretch.
The nearby Sun Studio and Gibson Guitar Factory are both well worth a tour. A good downtown hotel option is the Westin Memphis Beale Street. South of the city centre and close to the airport, thousands of faithful Elvis fans still make a pilgrimage each year to the Graceland mansion.
The nearby Heartbreak Hotel – located on Elvis Presley Boulevard as opposed to ‘down at the end of Lonely Street’, as the eponymous song would have you believe – has four Elvis-themed suites.
Austin, Texas
The Texan city of Austin is the self-proclaimed live music capital of the world and it’s got no shortage of arguments to back up its case.
Austin has an estimated 1,900 bands and performing artists (out of a total population of 750,000) who make their home in and around the city. Singers sing in Spanish as well as English and bands play everything from blues to indie rock, country and jazz.
At the last count, the city also had just shy of 200 live music venues (including City Hall and the airport) so even your pickiest clients should find something to please the ear.
Downtown districts worth checking out include Red River, Sixth Street and Market, but the truth is you can’t go more than a couple of blocks in Austin without happening on a venue.
Read our January 2009 feature on twinning Austin with San Antonio, and head to our Postcards blog for some travel notes and photos from Austin:
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is a city with a long and distinguished musical pedigree, having been home to Ray Charles and Jimi Hendrix among others.
The early 1990s saw the birth of the grunge movement here as Northwest bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains exploded onto the airwaves. Today’s Seattle remains a magnet for America’s alternative rock talent and has a vibrant music scene.
The online Seattle Music Map guides music-lovers to the site of Nirvana’s first gig and the hotel room where the Beatles fished out the window, as well as to dozens of live venues.
The bohemian Capitol Hill neighbourhood has a particularly high concentration of late-night clubs and restaurants, while Jackson Street is the place to go catch some live jazz.
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Mardi Gras city may have been slow to recover from the devastation wrought by Katrina but it would take more than a hurricane to dampen the welcome here.
The city retains all the features that make it such a thrilling destination: 19th century architecture, rich, spicy food and music. New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz and the home of Zydeco music. Moreover, it is a place that musicians including Louis Armstrong and Lenny Kravitz have called home.
Visitors can expect to find talented street performers and intimate clubs, jazz funerals and festivals including Jazz Fest, French Quarter Fest and Satchmo SummerFest, as well as headline rock concerts and even symphony orchestras.
For proximity to the nightlife and music, advise clients to stay in and around the French Quarter. Anyone wondering about the state of New Orleans’ recovery should be encouraged to go see for themselves. The city has certainly suffered but it’s back on its feet, and swinging.
Nashville, Tennessee
There’s no doubt about Nashville’s principal attraction: the city is the home of Country Music. True country fans, or anyone who enjoys a foot-tapping tune, will plan their visit to include an evening show at the legendary Grand Ole Opry, not to mention a backstage tour.
After the show the music goes on into the night at the Bluebird Cafe, or one of a dozen other downtown venues that host live country, rock, blues, bluegrass and jazz music.
Nashville nightlife is hard to beat but there’s also plenty to do in the city by day. Maintaining the musical theme are the Country Music Hall of Fame, the new Musicians Hall of Fame, and the RCA B Studio where Elvis and the Everly Brothers recorded some of their biggest hits.
Keith Prowse offers a range of Nashville tours focusing on the artists, the instruments and the recording studios (including RCA Studio B). The Millennium Maxwell House has a great downtown location.
Sample packages
Virgin Holidays offers seven nights at the Heartbreak Hotel, Memphis from £780 per person based on twin-share. That price includes return flights from Manchester or Gatwick via Atlanta, transfers and breakfast. (0844 557 3859, virgin.com/holidays)
Kuoni features a 14-night Music and Mountains flydrive taking in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Memphis, Nashville, Asheville, Raleigh, Wilmington, Charleston and Savannah from £1,437 per person based on twin-share. The price includes flights and car hire. (01306 740888, kuoni.co.uk)
Thomas Cook offers a seven-night Texas (Houston, Austin, San Antonio) flydrive from £890 per person based on twin-share. The price includes flights and car hire. (01733 417100, thomascook.com)
